Acts 2:35 is Peter’s quotation of Psalm 110, used to show that the risen Jesus has been placed in the position of highest honor at God’s right hand, and that God will bring every opposing power under his authority. Peter says it during his first sermon on the day of Pentecost, speaking to a crowd of Jewish men gathered in Jerusalem from many nations. He is making the case that the events of the past few weeks fulfill what King David had written centuries earlier.
Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
Acts 2:35 (WEB)
What Acts 2:35 Means
The verse is a quotation within a quotation. Peter is repeating words that he attributes to David, and David is reporting what the Lord said to “my Lord,” a phrase that Peter takes to refer to the Messiah. The Lord (God the Father) invites the Messiah to “sit at my right hand,” which in the ancient world was the place of honor, authority, and shared rule next to a king.
The second half of the verse describes what happens while that seat is being held: God will make the Messiah’s enemies into a footstool for his feet. A footstool stands for complete victory, the image of a conquered rival placed under a ruler’s feet. Peter is saying that Jesus’ authority is not yet fully displayed in the world, but the outcome is certain.
What the verse does not do is give a timeline for when that final victory will come, nor does it describe how the enemies are defeated. It promises the certainty of Christ’s reign and the eventual subjection of opposing forces, not an immediate removal of every hardship from believers’ lives.
The Context of Acts 2:35
The book of Acts was written by Luke, the same author who wrote the Gospel of Luke, and it is addressed to a person named Theophilus. It records how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward after his resurrection and ascension. Chapter 2 is the first major public proclamation of the gospel, and Peter’s speech is the first of several sermons Luke records.
Just before verse 35, Peter says that God raised Jesus up, that the disciples are witnesses of this, and that Jesus has poured out the Holy Spirit that the crowd is now seeing and hearing. Just after, Peter concludes that God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ. Read this way, Acts 2:35 is part of an argument: the same Jesus who was crucified now sits in heavenly authority, and David’s psalm points to exactly this.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:35
Psalm 110:1
The LORD says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
(WEB)
This is the Old Testament psalm Peter quotes in Acts 2:35. Reading the whole verse in its original setting shows the same promise of a king seated in honor and a future victory over his enemies, which deepens what Peter was arguing to his listeners.
1 Corinthians 15:25
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
(WEB)
Paul also draws on Psalm 110 in this passage, speaking of Christ reigning until all enemies are placed under him. Reading it beside Acts 2:35 shows how the early church understood Christ’s reign as moving toward a complete and final victory.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:35
Lord God, thank you that Jesus has been raised and exalted to the place of honor and authority at your right hand. When I feel overwhelmed by the powers that seem to be in charge of my world, help me remember that they are not ultimately in charge. Quiet my fear and give me steady trust that your timing and your justice are sure. Let me rest in the reign of your Son today. Amen.